Tube-rolling machine



May 16, 1939. L, HIPPY 2,158,339

TUBE-ROLLING MACHINE 1 Filed May 1, 1937 v 4 Sheets-Sheet l May 16, 1939.

c. SHIPPY TUBE-ROLLING MACHINE Filed May 1, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 16, 1939.

Filed May 1, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 16, 1939 UNITED STATfi TUBE-ROLLING MACHINE Leo C. Skippy, Lockport, N. Y., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application May 1, 1937, Serial No. 140,127

'7 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for forming radiator core plates of the type used in the heat exchanger of a well known automobile body heater. The individually formed plate consists of a pair of spaced concentric arcuate walls having offset ridges therein and being joined together at one end. To so shape the plate unit it is here proposed to cut to given size a flat ribbon or the like and place it in the path of a revolving die comprising an arcuate wall having die formations on both the inner and outer surfaces so that the end face of the wall engages an intermediate portion of the strip and carries it between a pair of spaced rollers which cooperate with the inner and outer die surfaces of the revolving wall and progressively wrap or fold the ribbon against opposite sides of the arcuate die member thereby curving the two lengths of ribbon in conformity to the curvature of the wall surface and simultaneously pressing the desired rib formations therein.

The invention will be best understood upon reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a top plan viewof the complete machine; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the formed plate; Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side eleva tion of the machine with parts broken away and shown in section; Figure 5 is a side elevation looking in the direction of the arrows on line 5-5 of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on line 5- 5 of Figure 1; Figure '7 is a detail section on line '.'--'i of Figure 1, and Figure 8 is a horizontal section taken on line 88 of Figure 4.

The flat ribbon to be shaped is shown by broken lines in Figure 4 supported by locating gages l, 2, 3 and 4 positioned on the baseplate 5. The endmost gages I and 4 each includes as shown in Figure 3, a block 6 for adjustably mounting a slidable element 1 to engage the end of the ribbon stock. It is held in adjusted position by a fastening stud 8 passing through an elongated opening therein and threadedly engaged with the block 6. Adjustment is effected when the stud 8 is threaded back, by means of a setscrew 9 engaged with the slidable element 1 and threaded in the end plate l0 bolted or otherwise secured to the anchored block 6.

The gage 2 projecting upwardly from the base block 5 has an offset recess ll (Figure 7) on one face with which cooperates a guide plate IE to form an upwardly opening slot to receive the flat stock. To facilitate insertion of the ribbon the plate 12 extends slightly above the gage 2 and the upper edge of the plate I2 is beveled as at l3 to provide a flaring entrance mouth. A similar flared entrance mouth l4 and a locating recess 15 are provided on the inner face of the gage 3. This gage, as seen in Figure 6, is rigidly secured by one or more cap screws [6 on an outwardly extending lip of a supporting block I! which is fixedly suspended from the top plate l8 bridging the space between a pair of posts l9 and 20 on-the bedplate 5.

Set within a recess in the front face of the block ll and cooperating with the gage block 3 is an adjustable plate 2! having a pair of elongated slots through which extend the fastening screws22 accessible for adjustment through alined openings '23 in the gage block 3. Adjustment is effected by means of a setscrew 24- threaded through the end wall of the block l'land engaging with the side of the plate 2|. This adjustable plate forms a pivot mounting for one of a pair of roller dies Hand 26 rotatable on spaced parallel axes. The mounting for the roller 25 is by a pin 21 extending therethrough and supported at opposite ends upon top andbottom'projections or ears 23 and29 of the slidable plate 2!. The other roller 25 is similarly pivoted upon a pin 3% carried by top and bottom legs 3| and 32 of an adjustable plate 33 which has elongated slots to receive the fastening studs 34 threaded into the upright l9, and is engaged by a laterally extending setscrew 35 threadedly engaging the upright IQ for locating the roller in-proper position.

Both rollers constitute forming dies and carry peripheral formations for cooperation with mating die formations on theopposite faces, respectively, of the arcuate wall 36 of a revolving die which is substantially a ring sector and presents concentric inner and outer die surfaces whose axis coincides with the aXis of rotation of the particylindrical wall 36. As will be noted in Figure 8 the leading and trailing edges 3'! and 38, respectively, of the arcuate wall 36 are in substantial alignment and cooperate with the locating gages l, 2, 3 and 4.

Figure 6 shows the arcuate wall fastened at its 45 lower edge by a screw stud 39 on the rotating disc Gil rigid with the spindle 4|. The spindle ll'is supported in suitable anti-friction bearings 42 in a mounting and lubricant containing tube 43 carried by the bedplate 5. At its lower end the tube is closed by a plate 34 through which the spindle projects and carries a gear 45engaging the teeth on a rack i8 guided within a supporting arm 47 on the cap 44. The rack 46 is secured ill or pinned to one end of a piston red, the other end of which is connected to a piston 49 slidable within a cylinder 50. The opposite ends of the piston cylinder 50 are closed by heads 5| and 52, respectively, and the head 52 is mounted on a dependent bracket 53 projecting downwardly from the underside of the bedplate 5. Both ends of the cylinder 5!! and on opposite sides of the piston 49 communicate with a common source of air under pressure and the differential in the effective area of the opposite faces of the piston acted upon by air under pressure, keeps the piston in the right-hand position illustrated in Figure 4.

For connecting the pressure source to the piston end of the cylinder, the head 52 beside the piston rod packing is provided with a drilled opening and a pipe coupling connects this passage with one end of the conduit 54, the other end of which is coupled to a branch passageway 55 in the dependent plate 56 on the underside of the bedplate 5. The main passageway 51 in the plate 56 is adapted for connection by a pipe 58 with the supply of air under pressure. It also has a lateral passageway to which is coupled a valve 59 and a conduit 60 leading from the valve is coupled to a drilled passageway in the head 5| leading to the opposite end of the piston cylinder 50. In the normal position of the parts the valve 59 connects the source of compressed air with the piston cylinder 59. The valve is closed by the depression of the plunger 6| which also vents the end of the cylinder connected with the pipe 60. For actuating the valve there is provided a rock lever 62 pivoted at 63 to the support 56 and adapted for engagement at one end with the plunger BI and at its opposite end with a link 64 extending downwardly to a foot pedal 65. A tension spring 66 yieldingly holds the lever in inactive position against a stop 61.

Depression of the foot pedal rocks the lever 62 to depress the valve plunger 6| and vent one end of the cylinder 50. The pressure on the other side of the piston causes piston reciprocation toward the left in Figure 4 to the position indicated in dotted lines and through the connecting rod 48 slides the rack to rotate the gear 45 and through the spindle 4| oscillates the arcuate die member 36 about the axis of its spaced concentric die surfaces. Thereupon the leading end 31 engaging an intermediate portion of the fiat ribbon stock interposed between the end gages I and 4 draws the strip along with it and between the roller dies 25 and 26 and the relatively soft metal follows the form of the arcuate wall as the stock is drawn between the cooperating die surfaces of the roller 25 and the inner face of the wall 36 and those of the roller 26 and the outer face of the wall 36.

As the revolving die passes the rollers it brings the leading edge of the formed stock into engagement with the tip 68 of a pressure lever 69 pivoted at 10 and urged inwardly by a tension spring II. This serves to press the metal inwardly into the depression shown at 12 in the leading edge of the die to increase the size of the water passage at this point.

After a complete rotation of the die, foot pressure on the pedal 65 is removed for therestoration of the parts. Upon return rotation of the die 36, the formed stock is stripped by the engagement of its inner edge with the sharp edge or abutment 13 on the block W.

I claim:

1. In a forming machine of the character described, gage means to receive a strip to be formed, a pair of forming dies arranged in fixed spaced relation and located intermediate the ends and to one side of the gage means, a parti-ring shaped wall on the opposite side of said gage means having a nose for engagement with an intermediate portion of the strip to be formed, die formations on the inner and outer curved side faces of said wall for cooperation with the respective forming dies for rolling both end portions of the strip to parti-cylindrical shape, means rotatably mounting said wall on the axis of said curved faces and operating mechanism for rotating said wall through the space between said dies.

2. In a strip rolling machine, a rotatable wall having arcuate die faces on opposite sides thereof concentric with the axis of rotation, a pair of spaced roller dies arranged on opposite sides of the path of said arcuate die faces for cooperation therewith and means to rotate said wall through the space between said dies.

3. A machine for shaping a single flat strip of stock into a pair of end connected spaced concentric arcuate plates, including an arcuate wall having one end engageable with an intermediate portion of one face of the strip stock and ribbing formations on the inner and outer curved faces thereof, a pair of rolls engageable with the opposite face of the strip stock and spaced apart to receive the arcuate wall therebetween, said rolls having ribbing formations for cooperation with the ribbing formations on the inner and outer curved faces of the wall and means for relatively rotating the arcuate wall and rolls about the axis of said arcuate wall and past one another.

4. In a strip rolling machine of the character described, a pair of roll dies having ribbing formations therein, means mounting said roll dies on spaced parallel axes, a rotary die having a wall of substantially ring sector shape adapted to enter the space between and pass beyond the roll dies and ribbing formations on the inner and outer concentric wall faces of the rotary die for mating cooperation with ribbing formations of the roll dies, respectively.

5. For forming from strip stock a pair of spaced 1 concentric C-shaped plates and simultaneously rolling ribs in said plates, a semi-annular wall having an end engageable with an intermediate portion of the strip and being movable in a circular path through substantially 360 about the 1:

axis of the wall, the inner and outer curved faces of the wall having circumferentially extending ribbing formations, a pair of dies cooperating with said inner and outer curved faces, respectively, and having mating ribbing formations, means mounting the dies at opposite sides of the circular path of said wall whereby wall rotation between the dies rolls back the strip end portions in conformation to said wall faces, and means to strip the formed strip from said wall upon reverse wall rotation,

6. In a strip rolling machine, an arcuate wall having die formations in its inner and outer concentric faces, means to rotate said wall about the axis of said faces, a pair of roll dies adjacent the path of wall rotation for cooperation with said faces, means to locate a fiat strip with an intermediate portion in the path of movement of said wall for engagement by the leading end of the wall and to be carried past the rolls for rolling the opposite ends against said inner and outer faces, a die depression in the outer face immediately adjacent said leading end of the wall and a spring pressed member in the path of said leading end for cooperation with said die depression in conforming a strip portion thereto.

'7. A machine for folding a flat strip to form a pair of nested parti-cylindrical plates, including a mandrel of parti-cylindrical shape having die faces on both the inner and the outer peripheral surfaces thereof, a nose to engage an intermediate portion of the strip, a pair of plate rolling dies spaced apart for progressive engagement with the opposite end portions of the strip in rolling the plates against the respective peripheral faces of said parti-cylindrical mandrel and means for imparting relative rotation between the mandrel and dies about an axis substantially coincident with the axis of said parti-cylindrical mandrel.

LEO C. SHIPPY. 

